Fighting a Beggar for Food

Gan Kingdom.

Salt City.

Song Wen cradled two unleavened steamed buns he had fished out of a slop bucket, ecstatic beyond measure.

Perhaps the buns were too dense, or perhaps there was little broth in the bucket. They had not been soaked through and were still relatively clean, stained with only a little greasy soup.

He picked off the two vegetable leaves stuck to the buns, utterly ignoring the waves of stench wafting from the slop bucket beside him, and stuffed the buns into his mouth in huge bites.

The cold, dry buns were exceptionally hard to swallow without water, but Song Wen could not spare the thought. In a few bites, he crammed one bun into his mouth.

The dry bun lodged in his throat, hard to swallow, and nearly made him pass out.

After great difficulty, he swallowed it. His ravenous stomach felt slightly better, yet he still felt nowhere near full.

It had been two days since his body had transmigrated into this world. This was his first meal.

When he came back to his senses, he saw a ten-year-old beggar boy standing before him. The little beggar stared pitifully at the remaining bun in Song Wen's hand, his eyes full of longing and hope.

Song Wen looked at the scrawny little beggar before him, then at the bun in his hand.

After a brief moment of hesitation and inner conflict, he brought the bun to his mouth. He had no intention of sharing it with the little beggar.

After transmigrating into this ancient-like world, he had discovered that everything he had learned and used in modern society was utterly useless here. Even his own survival had become unimaginably difficult—how could he spare any pity for a stranger?

Just as the bun was about to enter Song Wen's wide-open mouth, the little beggar's expression suddenly turned vicious.

The little beggar abruptly sprinted two steps, then sprang into the air, leaping two feet high as both hands shot toward the bun in Song Wen's hand.

At the same time, the little beggar opened his filthy mouth, bared his yellowed teeth, and bit down hard on Song Wen's forearm.

At the little beggar's sudden attack, a flash of panic first crossed Song Wen's eyes before fury took its place.

He had been living perfectly well in modern society. Though he was no great success, he never lacked food or clothing. Yet he had inexplicably transmigrated into this world, where he possessed almost no means of making a living. He had already been choking down his anger.

And now, even a half-grown beggar dared bully him!

The flames in his heart seemed to find an outlet.

Song Wen's expression turned ferocious.

"Get lost!"

Song Wen swung his arm and smashed it at the little beggar.

When Song Wen transmigrated into this world, his original thirty-year-old body had become that of a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old. He was not particularly tall, but compared to the little beggar, who had long lacked food, he was still much bigger and stronger.

Song Wen's forearm slammed directly into the little beggar's face, and blood immediately spurted from the boy's nose.

But Song Wen had clearly underestimated the little beggar's savagery. Rather than being knocked away by Song Wen's forearm, the boy seized the arm with the momentum and sank his teeth into it.

Throughout it all, the vicious expression on the little beggar's face never changed in the slightest. From beginning to end, his eyes remained locked on the bun.

Pain shot through Song Wen, and his face grew even more savage.

"You little bastard, you dare bite me? I'll beat you to death!"

Song Wen raised his knee and, using all his strength, drove it viciously into the little beggar's chest.

The little beggar took the heavy blow, his body going limp. He could no longer hold Song Wen's forearm and was sent flying backward, crashing onto the filthy ground half a zhang away.

Still consumed by rage, Song Wen had no intention of letting the little beggar off. He stepped forward and kicked the boy twice in the chest, sending him another zhang away. Blood spilled from the little beggar's mouth, clearly a sign of internal injuries, before Song Wen finally stopped.

Just as Song Wen turned to leave, he was startled to find the little beggar staring at him with venomous hatred.

That gaze sent a chill through his entire body, and a sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

He had only just arrived in this world. Before gaining any strength or backing, he should avoid offending anyone, even a beggar at the very bottom of society.

Who knew whether this little beggar had the protection of local criminal forces behind him?

Song Wen held the little beggar's gaze for a long while, and the thought of cutting the weeds and digging out the roots flashed through his mind.

They were in a narrow, dark alley that few people normally visited. At present, there were only the two of them. Song Wen believed that if he hardened his heart and brutally killed the little beggar, no one would discover it anytime soon.

Even if someone did, the death of a little beggar would not attract much attention.

In this lawless Salt City of another world, no one knew how many commoners from the lower classes died wrongful deaths each day. The authorities simply did not care—and could not possibly handle it all even if they did.

From the corner of his eye, Song Wen noticed a cobblestone the size of a coarse bowl in the corner of the alley. Its surface was smooth and its texture hard—at the very least, harder than the little beggar's head.

The suffering he had endured over the past two days surged into his heart in that instant. Towering resentment erupted within him, clouding Song Wen's reason and shattering the ethics and morals of more than thirty years in modern society. His expression became hideously twisted.

Having witnessed no shortage of arson, murder, robbery, and plunder over the past two days, Song Wen seemed to awaken the demon hidden deep within his heart at that moment.

Everyone else is doing whatever they please. This is a world that eats people without even spitting out the bones. Why should I still follow the morals and ethics of my past life?

Song Wen turned and walked toward the cobblestone. The little beggar's eyes gradually filled with terror.

Suddenly, two servants from a wealthy household appeared at the mouth of the alley, carrying a slop bucket as they walked in.

With outsiders arriving, his overwhelmed reason returned. The demon in his heart hid itself away, and his reckless impulses were reined in.

The moment had passed. Song Wen felt somewhat disappointed, yet also strangely relieved. Shaking his head, he turned and left the alley.

The moment Song Wen walked out of the alley, he saw a large crowd surging toward the street.

They were shouting, "Hurry up! The Heavenly Baleful Gang is recruiting workers. If you get there late, there won't be any chances left!"

Over the past two days, Song Wen had heard the Heavenly Baleful Gang's name so often his ears had nearly grown calluses.

In Salt City, the Heavenly Baleful Gang was an absolutely top-tier force. In certain respects, its power even surpassed that of the local authorities.

However, the Heavenly Baleful Gang had a terrible reputation and had committed no small number of evil deeds.

Song Wen followed the crowd and pushed toward the street.

Recruiting workers meant wages. Wages meant clean food. It meant he would no longer have to fight beggars for food in slop buckets.

He fought his way through layer after layer of people and finally saw a notice pasted on a wall at the street corner.

The writing on the notice resembled the traditional Chinese characters of his previous life. Though Song Wen had never learned them, he could still roughly understand the meaning.

The notice stated that the Heavenly Baleful Gang was recruiting children between seven and twelve years old to enter the gang and study martial arts. In the future, these children would become the backbone of the gang.

It also said that the families of selected children would receive generous rewards, and that the children themselves would have bright futures, among other promises.

After reading the notice, Song Wen was somewhat disappointed.

So the Heavenly Baleful Gang was recruiting new gang members, not simply hiring workers.

Moreover, the Heavenly Baleful Gang only recruited children between seven and twelve. The age of Song Wen's current body did not qualify.

Song Wen squeezed out of the crowd, intending to leave.

However, amid the clamor of the crowd, a furious shout suddenly rang out.

"That kid, wait right there."

Song Wen heard the shout, but he did not think it was directed at him. He did not stop and continued forcing his way out of the crowd.

"Kid, I mean you. You still won't stop? Has Dog Lord's word become worthless in this Salt City?"

The voice behind him had grown somewhat angry.

Having only just arrived, Song Wen was cautious and afraid of offending anyone. He stopped, following the voice with his eyes to determine whether the speaker was calling for him.

When he turned around, he saw a man with a thin mustache and a slovenly manner, someone who looked like nothing but a street thug, glaring at him with unfriendly eyes.

Two burly men stood behind him. All three wore the attire of the Heavenly Baleful Gang.

Song Wen's brows immediately furrowed, and he inwardly cursed his bad luck. He had no idea how he had offended this Dog Lord.

Song Wen had once been an utterly ordinary salesman on Blue Star. Years of sales experience had not made him rich or successful, but they had taught him how to speak to people like people, speak to ghosts like ghosts, and serve the dish according to the diner.

A fawning smile immediately spread across his face. Bowing and scraping, he jogged a few steps to Dog Lord's side.

With an ingratiating smile, he said, "Dog Lord, you stopped this lowly one. What are your orders?"

Though Song Wen disliked his own behavior, he knew full well that in this lawless world, if he wanted to survive after arriving here, he could only bow his head and bend his back first.

To offend the local tyrant the moment one arrived, one either had to be a fierce dragon crossing the river—or a fool courting death.